‘Hundreds’ of people dispersed by police in illegal rave crackdown across Northants this morning

Paul Lynch

Officers swooped on three illegal raves being held in Northamptonshire villages after complaints of noise in the early hours of this morning.

The raves, two in King’s Cliffe in the north east of the county and one in Gretton , north of Corby, were disrupted by officers, following reports from the public in the early hours of this morning (Sunday, August 28).

Officers attended the locations shortly after midnight after receiving reports of loud music.

A force spokesperson said there were “hundreds of people and cars at the locations with sound systems set up.”

Using powers under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, officers seized equipment, took details of vehicles, their drivers and passengers, and directed people to leave the area and prevented those arriving later from entering.

Sector Inspector Julie Mead, for East Northants and Corby, said: “Thanks to calls from members of the public, we were alerted to the raves and were able to respond.

“Raves can be very disruptive in terms of noise and nuisance and can be more difficult to clear once they are established. It’s therefore vital that people let us know if they concerned about any suspicious activity.

“We are continuing to work today in the rave locations to minimise the disruption and ensure the safety of everyone.

“We would remind people to be vigilant and look out for signs of a potential rave. Often, those who are looking to set-up a rave will visit the potential site before the event. If anyone spots any suspicious activity in their village, along a country road or around farm land, please let us know.”

Some of the signs to look out for that might indicate a rave is being planned:

o Posters or messages advertising a rave

o Cropped bolts on a gate

o People in cars or vans stopping to look into a field or climbing over a fence into a field

o Flattened or disturbed hedgerows

o Anyone acting suspiciously

Extra officers will be on patrol over the bank holiday weekend ready to respond to any information about a rave taking place.

Anyone with information is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or in an emergency, call 999.